The mining sector's contribution to the Lao economy will continue to drop over the coming years, according to an update on domestic economic prospects in 2018 and beyond of the Lao National Economic Research Institute.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un mentioned Vietnam in his conversations with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month as an example of how his country should expand on economically, an anonymous government official told Pulse last week.

Rice export prices in India rose as demand picked up, while rates for the Thai variety eased amid prospects of a healthy harvest, even as top exporters looked to clinch a possible deal with the Philippines.

The finance ministers and central bank governors of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) stressed on May 4 the need to resist "all forms of protectionism" and agreed to ensure "an open and run-based multilateral trade and investment system."